Mick Green reckons he had "nothing to do one day" when he lodged a land claim over Lake Macquarie, the largest salt water lake in the southern hemisphere.

"It was a bit of a stir, but if we'd have pulled it off it would have been great," he says.

The claim wasn't successful, but many others have been.

Originally a Kwiambal man from around Inverell, Mick came down to Lake Macquarie on a holiday and loved it so much he decided to stay. He worked on the railways and in the mines before becoming the co-ordinator of the Bahtabah Land Council.

He says the council's greatest achievement is the recent claim over 700 acres of land around Lake Macquarie which it plans to develop for social housing and community-minded business ventures.

Launching in May, Mick says it's a state-wide "first" and model for other land councils to follow.

He never intended to stay in the Hunter, but Mick Green's passion for Bahtabah means he won't be returning to Kwiambal-territory in a hurry.

Hosted by Jill Emberson, Mornings presenter on 1233 ABC Newcastle, Meet the Mob is a weekly profile of Aboriginal people in the Hunter region of New South Wales.

You can listen to each Meet the Mob interview by clicking on the audio player or you can download each interview as an mp3 by right clicking on the blue heading under the audio.